Information processing apparatus, information delivery system, information processing method, and recording medium

Abstract

A multimedia file has a format in which actual data is embedded in a file structure. The multimedia information is assembled in blocks, each composed of a header area and a data area, and has a hierarchical structure in which a block is embedded in another block. Header area information may include a file name identification information (block name), a number of child blocks information and data length identification information. This arrangement facilitates the creation and editing of a multimedia file, permitting high-speed data searching.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to an information delivery system for delivering the content of multimedia information, an information processing apparatus for use in the information delivery system, an information processing method, and a recording medium recording the multimedia information.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]In one of known systems, a server transmits audio data as a musical composition to a user, delivering the musical composition to a recording medium of the user or an audio player having a recording medium therewithin. Such a system is a music delivery system.[0005]Besides the audio data as the musical composition, information transmitted and received in the music delivery system can include image data such as of a jacket of the music record or other media, and text data such as lyrics. Types of data to be transmitted and received are not only audio data but also a content including the ima...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the performance of data delivery service so that the burden on a data delivery side and a data receiver side involved in the processing of multimedia information is lightened in the data delivery service.

[0022]In the above arrangement, the multimedia information handled by the present invention includes data associated with a header. A file itself includes data therewithin. In other words, the arrangement of the present invention is different from a structure which includes a description file of a text and an external reference file. In accordance with the present invention, target data is searched for in the multimedia information, based on the content of header information of the multimedia information, and the target information is then reproduced. The process of the multimedia information for data reproduction is more efficient and lighter in duty than searching for linked data referencing the description file.

Problems solved by technology

On the delivery side of the musical composition data, the creation of multimedia information becomes difficult and troublesome accordingly.

The possibility of the generation of software bugs increases, thereby lowering work efficiency on the delivery side.

Such a process is time-consuming and burdensome on the receiver side.

It is not practically appropriate that a service for delivering a large amount data such as many pieces of musical composition data is carried out using the multimedia information file composed of the description file and the external reference file.

Images